heap of all your winnings, and risk it on one kind of pitch and toss and lose, and start again at the beginning. and never create a word. about the heart and nerve and send you. so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will that says to them hold on. if you talk with crowds and keep your virtue or walk with kings nor lose the common touch foes nor loving friend can hurt you. if all men dealt with you but none too much, if you can fill the unforgive minutes with 60

seconds worth of distance run, yours is the earth and everything that is in it, and which is more you will be a man, my son. this chamber tonight is full not just of men and women but some of the finest men and women i have ever met in my life. and i am so proud to have spent the past 17 hours with every ne of you. >> and we're not finished yet. we have more hours to go. i called up carolyn mccarthy today. i wanted her to know what we were doing. i didn't catch her. she wasn't home. but i left a message on the

phone and told her that we were standing up for the issue that she cared most about and dedicated her life towards changing. and i feel that she in so many -- and so many americans were inspired by what we did tonight. my phone was ringing off the hook all day long thanking the democrats for finally standing up, for being determined, for making a difference. and i can tell you that i think we truly did make a difference. it's the first time that the g.o.p. totally changed their plans, their schedule, turned themselves upside down and adjourned two days early because they would rather cut and leave than stay here and listen to all of us raising the injustice to the american the insensible gun

safety laws that preserve the second amendment. and when you look at america we are unique among countries in terms of the mass yoif carnage and gun violence that happens in our country. someone called from london and they said we don't have that problem because we have sensible gun safety laws. of course, they have had their own tragedies. but when you see that more people have died in american -- more people have died from gun violence since 1968 than all of our people who died for our country in wars. how insane is that that we're not taking these common sense checks? these are reasonable. and i would say moderate.

extremely moderate positions that in no way infringe on the second amendment. and i feel that in every movement there's a turning point and i felt with every mass murder that that was the turning point. after gabby was shot, surely everybody in congress would be so outraged they didn't do something. the mowing -- can't even go to a movie theater without people being murdered. with orlando i thought that would be the turning point. surely we would ask 100 people shot in a very short time, 50 of them dead. and that day spontaneously new yorkers all went to stonewall, the beginning, the fight of the stonewall rebelion.

the modern movement for gay rights in our country. 15,000 people went to stonewall to show their outrage and determination to make something happen. i went there, too, anding i was thinking this will be the turning point, like stonewall. i'm proud in new york two of the turning points in important civil rights movement started in new york. in seneca falls, at stonewall for the gray rights and human rights movement. but i truly believe that the turning point is right here on the floor of congress with a great democratic party that stood so strongly together in solidarity with the victims with the families with rights. and i feel that we have been that turning point. and i have never been more proud to be a democrat to be

part of this unity that is working for the right thing. i would say that rarely in politics are you allowed the opportunity to do something absolutely pure, absolutely beautiful and wonderful and just and righteous, and i feel we all have that opportunity tonight. so i want to thank my colleagues. i'm so proud to be part of your team. i am standing with you and i thank you for being the turning int in a movement to literally save lives in america. thank you and yield back. >> i'm interjecting because i promised's these folks and we also promised members or

anybody else have a second chance other people would have have a second chance. these are the words of the ceo f the national urban league. evan was founder and president of freedom to marry. disarming hate after orlando. at long last we must take responsible steps to stop the blood she had. then it was a woman's health clinic last fall. then it was a gay nightclub in the middle of pride month. each a symbol of america's long

march to freedom. and now tragically we know each is a place where americans can be targeted, shot, and killed simply for going about their daily lives. hate fuels each of the attacks on charleston, colorado springs, and orlando. another common denominator that became leetsdzer only because it is far too easy for dangerous people, terrorists and felons, abusers and bigots, o access guns in this country. and the predictable results when hatred is armed, carnage. america's gun murder rate is more than 25 times that of other developed countries. there is no single policy that

will bring that number in line with the rest of the civilized world. but if we're going to do something then we have to start by asking ourselves a simple question. what kind of country do we want to live in? after the deadliest mass shooting in our history we have to decide. do we want a country where we cannot safely pray, see a uand our most basic rights to life and liberty under attack. of course there is no guarantee against a next attack requiring background checks on all gun sales though would be the most immediate effective way to keep guns out of dangerous hands.

after the 2012 murder shooting in newtown, background checks then and they continue to block them now. for the gun lobby and its allies the answer is not a stronger, smarter policy. their answer is always more guns. so they push for guns everywhere in our churches, schools, airports, bars, and restaurants. they push for guns for everyone including terror suspects. and they do it despite the warnings of law enforcement who know best how to safeguard the public. and it is not with armed individual lants. that is is the john pirch position of america. that is how extreme unamericans they have become, the gentleman said. consider the so-called terror gap which congress at the

behest of the nra lobby machine refuses to quote. right now a suspect on a federal terror watch list may not be allowed to board a plane but there is nothing stopping him or her from buying a gun. this is not conjecture. since 2004, terror suspects have bought guns more than 2,000 times. the 2009 fort hood shooter passed a background check, bought a gun, and shot 45 people even as he was under f.b.i. investigation. the orlando shooter was twice placed on a terror watch list. he was investigated by the f.b.i. as a terror suspect and had a history of making violent, bigotted threats. proposed terror gap legislation could have given law enforcement the discretion to block the gun sales to him.

reviewed s could have his file and looked into his recent threats. they could have determined he posed a terrorist threat and denied the gun sales. and yet the legislation to give the government that authority hasn't moved. there is a glaring weakness in our national defense. there is bipartisan support in congress for shoring it up. and yet the gun lobby continues to play politics. after the deadliest terror attacks since 9/11, we should not let the gun lobby get away with the same old games. lives are at stake and to sit idly by while political extremists put us at risk is unacceptable. the american people are united in mourning, in anger, and in deep gratitude for the police

and first responders who rushed in to danger and saved lives sunday morning. , in the ted, too conviction that those first responders and the people they serve, we, the people, all deserve better. it is insane that we live in a country where terror suspects and criminals, including those convicted of hate crimes, can easily buy guns. it is intolerable that in our country armed hatred is now the new normal. and it is unacceptable that our lawmakers protect and promote the gun lobby position over our own lives and liberty. each of us condems violence in all forms. together we are also calling for action from those policy makers who falsely and for far too long have excused terror,

blood shed, and lax gun laws at the cost of freedom. fp if we had a record i would submit it for the record ut it is now on public record. >> good morning. i thank all of you for staying here. i know how exhausted all of us are. i particularly want to thank the many women here because it is cold in here. while we're talking guns, one of the great ironies and hypocracy is the nra just says

they want to keep guns out of the hands of the dangerous and the mentally ill. we don't need new gun laws. out st need to keep them of the wrong hands. out of roanoke where the guy on the cameraman, bob was tv saying, the federal government does a terrible job at enforcing these federal gun laws. well, if we looked a little deeper into this we will find that we have gutted this. there are at least five things we can do without changing any new gun laws. we can make the director not subject to a senate appointment. since republicans did that in 2004 only one director 12 years has been acted and confirmed by the u.s. senate. when you leave it leaderless

with an ad hoc director it's never going to have the kind of enforcement you want. let's make the atf director simply an appointee not subject to confirmation. number two, let's repeal the teert amendment going back to 2004 also which restrict the use of trace data, an incredibly important tool to figure out which guns were used in crimes. number three, let's require annual inspections of every federally licensed gun shop in america. one of the major statistics, there are more federally certified gunshots in america than mcdonalds, i think it's over 70,000. if we do annual inspections we have the workforce to do it. right now the atf is desperately shorthanded.

finally, congress has restricted the ability of federal gun shops to keep inventories. and this is incredibly important. big inventory if you miss 20 guns or 100 guns nobody knows. there's much that we can do right now that doesn't add a new level that just enforces existing law. but in keeping with the refusal to have a vote on no fly, no buy, refusal to have a vote on closing the background check loop there's legislation before us that many have signed that once again is not getting a hearing, is not getting a markup. so even the things they say, let's enforce the laws that exist, doesn't happen. there's so much more that we can do. i thank all of you for being part of this overnight extended effort to make sure we continue demand what the american

citizens want. >> the horrific mass shooting is a stark reminder of the urgent responsibility that we have to reduce gun violence in this country. the shooter in orlando used an like those used in san bernardino, aurora, and sandy hook. we have two proposals that were made which were bipartisan, which are currently pending before the congress. two very simple ideas. but which would be very effective in helping our constituents from gun violence. first is universal background checks, legislation to ensure that any time someone buys a gun they undergo a background

check. the second is to make sure that when an individual is determined to be so dangerous that they are denied the ability to get on an airplane, they don't have the right to go into a gun store and buy as many guns as they want. from 2004-2014 more than 2,000 suspected terroristings bought firearms legally in this country and they are going to continue to do this unless we pass a law that stops them. until 9/11 bombs were the weapon of choice for terrorists looking to harm america. but in the 15 years since then, 95% of terror deaths that took place in the united states resulted from gun violence. so we know that is the greatest danger to the american people, terrorists and access to gun and we have no prohibition from buying as many guns as they

want. we have voted 13 times or tried to vote into law the no fly no buy proposal that was offered. and 13 times our republican colleagues have blocked our ability to do that. what are they afraid of, that we are actually going to deny terrorists the right to buy a gun? the american people cannot believe it is possible for someone on the terrorist watch list that has been determined to be dangerous can buy guns. we also know from all of the research that the background checks when they are conducted, they work, on average every day background checks block 171 attempted purchases of firearms by felons, 48 attempted purchases by domestic abusers, and 19 attempted purchases by fugitives. so this is an effective way to make sure guns do not get into the hands of people who should not have them.

we have legislation to strengthen and close the loopholes so every purchase is subjected to a background check. so while we have spent the last almost 17 hours now literally on this floor and in this chamber imploring our colleagues to take some action to respond to the carnage that is displayed in these photographs, the beautiful lives taken away. what they did instead of engaging with us about these solutions or responding to these two very sensible pieces of legislation is they adjourned. they left. without ever taking these up. what a horrible message that is to the american people, the kind of harm and heart ache and grief that so many people have suffered in our country because of gun violence that the republican answer to that is we'll see you in july.

and so what i would like to do is to take a moment. we could do this for virtually every mass shooting in our country because these are real people who have families and lives and they get lost in these statistics. so what i would like to do is take a moment and tell you about the victims in orlando. just to give you a little background. first edward, 34 years old from florida. according to multiple social media profiles, he worked as a ational brand manager, america's largest gay owned travel company. e identified himself as -- edward was a caring and energyic man. christina, was on three cruises with him. she said he was lovely, a kind guy who touched everyone who

had the pleasure of meeting him. i can't believe he's gone. stanley, 23-year-old old, florida. he worked as a pharmacy technician. he made me feel like he was perfectly fine being who i was, them.iend she said they clicked instantly. he could turn my mood by conversation. juan, 22 years old. he had recently begun attending the university of central florida and had only recently come out to his family. in conversation with news service his cousin said he opened up just before the start of the year. he was always this amazing person. he was like a big brother to me.

robert told the ap he was never the type to go out to parties but rather stay home and care for his niece and nephew. erik, 36 years old. he was the man everyone in his family asked for advice. his cousin said. he was very artistic. he was all about interior design. the paper report that is this 36-year-old goof bal, lived in downtown orlando with his husband. luis, 22 years old. he was by far the best person i knew, his friend told the miami herald. they made us all better people by simply existing around us. part of him will always live on in every good decision i make.

the facebook page, he worked at the studios in orlando including the harry potter ride. jk raouly mourned him on twitter. peter, 22 years old. peter went by omey, his aunt said. peter makes a difference everywhere he goes. he was a happy person. if peter is not at the party no one wants to go. .he went to his best friend e also died in the attack. luis, 20 years old. he was a passionate dancer, according to remembrances being left for him on line. ay the only time you rest.

his friend julius was with him but left shortly before the shooting. he said that after the shooting began he sent him text after text after text trying to reach him. he also remembered him pulling him out when he was in need. it was a very hard situation because of my dad i was staying with him. he kicked me out. he actually took me in for a little while. kimberly, 37. kimberly was a bouncer at pulse. she moved to orlando this spring from hawaii in order to help her mother and grand mother. before that she played's basketball in connecticut and worked as a drag queen and a bouncer at a gay club in massachusetts. edy, 30 years old. an accountant living in downtown orlando, loved to eat

and work out. he woke his mother up shortly after 2:00 a.m. with a text message. mommy, i love you. then another text. in club. they shooting. they exchanged messages for nearly an hour. eddie was trapped in a bathroom as the hostage situation began. he asked his moth tore call the police telling her a man was shooting, lots of people were wounded. he has us, he told her. he's in the bathroom with us. he's a terrorist. his death was announced last monday. darrell, 29 years old. he was a financial aid officer at kaiser university in jacksonville. he always had a smile on his face and was a very nice guy. he definitely leaves an impression and a big personality and he is missed. he was a member of the

jacksonville jt young professional organization. he was always interested in making positive impacts on people's lives and in the community. if someone needed anything, he usually just asked, where, when, and what are the deadlines? he was known for his colorful ow ties. yanaka. her aunt posted a message on facebook that she had been at work when she was shot. melody, a nightclub photograph post add photograph of her taken on friday the day before the shooting. anthony, 25 years old. he studied at the university of the sacred heart in san juan, puerto rico, performed in drag. it is with deepest sorrow that we report that a member of the drag community has lost their life due to the shooting at ulse nightclub in orlando.

she was an amazing performer and a beautiful person inside and hout. originally from puerto rico he studied education at the university. he moved to orlando three years ago to pursue a career as a dancer and corogfer. he went dancing at pulse and his family grew alarmed when they didn't hear from him after he texted them at 2:07. at i have now is pain beyond repair. gene, 35 years old. he was born in puerto rico. he had lived in the united states since he was a teenager .nd worked in orlando for one of the customers he charmed was luis who had become

longtime partner. both were killed in the attack at the pulse night club. he was a man full of life and joy, who loved his friends and family above all things. frankie, 50 years old. frankie was originally from puerto rico. he worked at forever 21 in orlando and was a professional dancer. a friend told the newspaper that he was with friends at pulse when he and others were ushed up against the wall. my brother will never die, his sister wrote. he will be in my heart. amanda, 25. lds a port rate at a vidgeyill. she had gone to pulse with a friend and was among those who

took refuge in a bathroom during the attack. she posted a snap chat video. both she and ms. flores were killed. told the rother orlando sentinel that his sister spent the first part of the weekend shopping with his young daughter. she liked to make them look very good. she wanted to be a nurse wouldn't want anyone to spread hate for her. she told the newspaper she would rather they spread more love, keep friends and family ose, and have a good doing it. martin. in san juan nt puerto rico and had gone to orlando to spend time with his family. he posted facebook videos and shoteos sharing scenes from his holiday. he was among several students who were killed in the pulse attack.

i can't believe it that my cousin is gone too soon. going to miss that big smile always. lways happy. i'm a glad man, a fight who ivings everything. wilson grew up in puerto rico had gone to pulse with hi partner. both were shot and killed. he two had met a decade ago. they fell in love soon thereafter. a friend in pennsylvania paid tribute to him on facebook as, a wonderful young man full of life who endured countless days of bullying while growing up by

cruel people calling him all sorts of slurs. he was the first person on this earth i came out to and he always protected and loved his friends. his strength and character was always an inspiration to all of us. mercedes, 26 years old. from queens new york, studied literature at orlando's community college and worked at target. she had gone to pulse that evening with her friend. both were killed in the attack. i forgive the boy because i cannot take that hate in my life. my life is more important than hate, her father said. his daughter had so many dreams. we must all come together. we must all be at peace. we must all love each other because this hatred cannot continue for the rest of our lives. javier. was a professional dancer and performed in shows for disney

live. a friend tells npr he helped his acceptance being gay. coming from a place i was ashamed to be zpway. watching performers like him helped me come out of my shell. he said he lives in his truth. he was always happy even on days he wasn't. e leaves behind a young son. 25 years old. originally from puerto rico, had moved to orlando and was working for speedway convenience tours while he tudied health care management. the aunt of another victim, said that he was best friends with her nephew and that the two had gone to pulse nightclub together on saturday. , if 26 and 31 years old.

partners, they had recently returned from a trip to niagara falls. the orlando sentinel stated they headed to pulse for a night out on saturday. both men died in the attack. according to a friend of both of these young men, valdez said the two had just purchased a home together. another friend said he had known them for three years, said that he was always happy and always willing to help others. he was a great manned and he loved the lord with all his heart. e recalls, he was amazing. he loved to travel. he took great pride in the quality of his work.

he loves dancing, biking, and water skiing. enriquea, 25 years old. was on vacation from brooklyn. n in 2016 he enrolled in college. a spokesman said, badly his dreams were cut short. the community mourns the loss of one of our own. at school he worked at a restaurant at the airport. a coworkerer remembered his sense of humor. he was so funny. he was such a good person. the mayor singled him out monday night at the stonewall individual lent in manhattan. said we lost a young man from

brooklyn. he was attending nursing school while working with senior citizens as a social worker. this is the kind of good human being we lost in orlando. someone with a life ahead making this world a better place. old. , 30 years married with thee children. the family lived in an orlando suburb. according to his brother, they worked together at a mexican catering. he said his brother has gone to pulse nightclub with three friends and all three of them had made it home safely. known to his friends as javi, was from puerto rico. said, he was a salesman at a gucci store and his outgoing personality made him good at

his job. always positive. very humble. he was a lovely friend. jason, 19 years old. still in his teens, he is the second youngest identified victim of this horrific shooting. like many 19-year-olds, jason had many interests and was just starting to chart a path in life, according to his family. he was computer savvy, loved to work out, and had an interest in photography. he was an orlando native recently graduated from high school and started college classes. always willing to help someone in need. is mother he called that night as the shooting began and stayed on the line with her as she called 911. she said she heard the shots getting closer. cory, 21.

a student. he hoped to become a firefighter. he was at pulse with his girlfriend who was shot but survived. cory is a good guy. he loved everybody. cory's brother called him the super hero of our family. god just got the best of angels, he said. uan, luis, 37 and 39 years old. they were partners. they were together at pulse when they were shot. on facebook, they left together like the couple that they are. hey were recalled as extraordinary. they were both exceptional

people. they were always helping each other. jonathan, 24 years old. jonathan worked on a show produced in orlando. he was a member of the national association of hispanic journalists. he joined the association as a student in puerto rico before moving to florida. christopher, 32. christine drove to pulse at 4 a.m. after she heard there was a shooting. thai sosheyated press reports her son christopher had been at the club and after the attack his friends posted on line they didn't know where he was. she stood on the streets sobbing begging for word of her son. they're killing our babies. her emotional appeal for news of her son was aired on television stations around the nation.

she said she was proud of him and said he won a humanitarian award. she begged for the world to try to get rid of the hatred and violence. frank, 27. his family called him frankie. frankie was at pulse nightclub in orlando with his boyfriend. y the time his sister made the 12-hour drive from orlando from their childhood home in louisiana, frankie was dead. i didn't want to say it, she wrote. i don't understand why he had to be one of the many victims who didn't make it. why did it have to be him of all people? they took my big brother away from me. they took him away from us. shane, 33 years old. a lead singer in a cover band called frequency. early sunday night, he was

singing at another nightclub. he was a vibrant and charismatic lead vocalist. brenda. 9 years old. a mother of 11 and grandmother of six loved dancing with salsa and had gone to pulse with her son who was 21 years old. brenda is a brooklyn native and had moved to orlando from california. a cancer survivor, a stellar mother, a proud and fierce advocate of her lgbt family, she tore up the dance floor with salsa when anything was playing. brenda had become a beloved figure of the pulse nightclub. she was like the mom of pulse. she supported us and was there with us the whole time. at 12:04 a.m. sunday morning

brenda posted a video from pulse on facebook music blaring, colored lights flashing, couples dancing, and two hours later she was still dancing when omar began shooting. angel, 28 years old. angel had been a zumba instructor in chicago until a few month ago. he was scheduled to start a new job working as a technician at the florida retina institute. angel originally from puerto rico and was very humble, espectful, and studious. renaldo. 25 years old. he went by the name drake. drake was an actor, a dancer, and a proud dominican.

was raised in the united states lived in puerto rico. he studied law. after his death was confirmed last monday, messages began pouring over social media. god, my brother. wrote one friend. this isn't fair. ikira, 18 years old. graduated with honors from west catholic prep tri high school in philadelphia two weeks ago. they were on vacation in orlando to celebrate her graduation and visit her brother. she was a respectful and self-determined young woman who served as a natural leader to her teammates. losing her is heartbreaking. paul, 41 years old.

paul a chicago native he loved to dance was great at pool. his boyfriend said that he had uch a loving spirit. francisco said he wanted the best for you, to succeed and help me make something of myself. i'm definitely going to do that for him. stephanie used to work with paul posted a remembrance and said that he was encouraging and always smiling. i remember him for his infectious boistrous personality. paul had two children and his daughter had recently graduated from high school. antonio.

29 years old. for antonio work and military service were a source of pride. a 2008 graduate of florida had been a member of rotc during his time there. he was a captain in the army reserve when he died. lieutenant colonel calvin scott taught mr. brown described him as upbeat and a hard worker. he was a very positive person with a very good sense of humor. he was willing to work very hard to earn his commission. mr. brown worked at lowe's as a

uman resource manager. dell the a financial aid officer at kaiser university. he was personable and social and easy going. always interested in making a positive impact on people's ives and in the community. all of the victims of the orlando shooting are displayed here, their photographs. so people can be reminded that these individuals, sons, and daughters, mothers and fathers, siblings and friends, all we ask for tonight from the republicans was to take some action, to help reduce the

carnage of gun violence in this country. this is only the most recent and the most horrific mass shootings in the history of our country. even this wasn't enough to keep our colleagues in washington, in this chamber to take up these two common-sense proposals. one to make sure that there is a background check done every time a gun is sold. and, two, to make sure we keep guns out of the hands of terrorists. we will continue as democrats to advocate for common-sense gun safety legislation to do all that we can to keep the american people safe from gun violence and to press our republican colleagues to do their jobs and take up these bills so that together we can work to make the american people safe.

>> we want to thank him not only for remembering the victims in orlando but for being one of the leaders who brought us here today. david along with katherine and john and so many of our colleagues called upon us to do the right thing today and come together and sit in. as john reminded us, make a little noise, move our feet, and stand together. as we approach the 5:00 hour, here in washington, d.c., and almost 18 hours since the sit-in began, i thought that i would share with everyone that

and ill viewing us watching and maybe following the leader of the charge here, making sure that the american people aren't shut out of the people's house by using technology to help spread a message across the world. we want to help people who helped do this. politico covered the story of the night or i should say the morning ended with republicans leaving the house floor in the dark of night with something like this the headline is house oes on break until july 5, republicans use a late night parliamentary maneuver to disrupt the protest but democrats vowed to continue. after a chaotic day lonk occupation of the house floor republicans leaders moved in

the middle of the night to cut off gun control sit-in by adjourning the house through the july 4th without a vote. speaker paul ryan sought to plow the demonstration by having lawmakers vote at 2:30 a.m. on several bills they had to pass this week including one to combat zika virus. after that republican leaders sent lawmakerers home until july 5. starting their already scheduled recess a few days earlier than planned. that is an important note. because what our republican colleagues are reporting is this was a scheduled recess. this recess sfart days earlier than it should have. the move will deny democrats any chance to be able to vote this week. democrats continue their sit-in after the house adjourned and plan to continue to do so at least through thursday and maybe longer.

they vow not to stop leaders relent. this is just one bridge. we have another bridge to cross . after the house adjourned lewis' civil rights icon helped lead the sitters. the g.o.p. leader shm came 15 hours after democrats seized the house vowing to block any legislative action until ryan promised to allow votes on what they believe are reasonable proposals blocking suspected terrorists on the no fly list from purchasing guns as well as expanded background checks for gun sales. ryan refused. and democrats said they were willing to hold the floor hostage however long it took. i couldn't predict how long it will go on, minority whip steny hoyer told reporters. tomorrow and the next day you

see folks in the house gallery. they're pretty fired up on this. it could go through friday. republicans used a parliamentary maneuver after midnight to try to short circuit the democratic sit-in. they rushed through the debate on a funding bill to combat the zika virus as well as a measure to fund mill con and the veterans affairs department setting final votes for 2:30 a.m. the day started just before noon when democrats took the chamber. republicans almost immediately revessed the house and turned off the chamber video cameras. t that only brought more attention as lawmakers whipped out their phones which was in turn broadcast by c-span. the protest soon became the story of the day leading news web sites around the nation. house republicans earlier in the day signaled they were

interested in bringing security in but they also weren't willing to give them the votes that they were asked. if ryan thought a few hours on the house floor would assauge the left, he was mistaken. the wisconsin republican entered the chamber at 10:00 p.m. to break up the protest by moving to a vote on unrelated legislation to override an obama administration rule. pandemonium ensued. as ryan sought to restore order in the chamber, democrats angerly chanted no bill no break. a reference to the upcoming july recess. they wanted to postpone until a vote is held. earlier in the day, ryan dismissed the democratic protest as nothing more than a publicity stunt. noting that the proposal at shi was recently defeated in the

senate. we're not going to take away a citizens' constitutional rights without due process. ryan and other republicans say would only ands ncourage more protest. democrats who have been in the .hamber all day several dozen democrats sat in the front filled the area where members occasionally cast votes. a few minutes before the vote started as highian took the podium democrats started chanting. guests watching joined them pumping their fists and clapping. a few republicans entered the chamber stood for moments to take in the scene.

lawmakers he would up signs with the names of victims of gun violence creating a wang on thhouse flr. other members held pictures of victims and signs that said disarm hate printed on a rainbow background. reciting a the vote poem about gun violence. ryan tried to speak over the crowd to call a vote but no one in the chamber could hear him. police quieted the public sitting in the gallery in accordance with house rules that bars observers from cheering but democrats shoutsd still drowned out ryan. cd vond mos in using paper cards. in an attempt to slow down the vote. republicans mostly kept to their side of the room while

standing to watch while others sat. throughout the votes democrats crowded the well chanting and holding up the names of victims. give them a vote democrats shouted. shaking their papers with the victims' names in the air. earlier as ryan stepped off the dais democrats booed. shouting shame. shame, shame. and democrats at one point we ng the same series, sang shall overcome. echoing the crowd hours earlier outside the capitol. so as we can see as we come across the 5:00 hour, nearly 18 hours of a sit-in. leader pelosi saying that we will stay here as long as it takes. and here over 20 members are

still on the house floor. still streaming the words that we're sharing with the american people. today was a proud day for us to stand together to do what is right for the american people. i just want to tell my colleagues thank you. thank you for standing strong. thank you for coming together. and thank you for doing the right thing to bring a voice to voices all across america. >> i thank all of my colleagues who are still here on the house floor. it may be 17-1/2 hours but it seems a lot longer than that. but the cause for which we stand here in the house floor is worth being here for 17 hours or 24 hours.

because we are here to give a voice to the voiceless. we are here to give voice to the babies, young children who were killed in newtown, massachusetts. we are here to speak on behalf of those who were killed in orlando about a week-and-a-half ago. we are here to give voice to those from aurora. voice to those in san bernardino. we're here to give voice to all those through terrorist attacks criminal unman or activity. we are here to give voice to the innocent lives across this country that we have lost. we on the house floor have a

tradition of holding a moment of silence when a major horrific attack has taken place. and we rightfully should. it shows the respect of our body, the house of representatives, for those who have lost their lives. democrats and republicans we have stood to remember all those who have lost lives in those events. but i do not recall ever standing for a random shooting of an innocent victim of a child. there have been events in my city in new york, there have been events in chicago, there have been incidents in miami and elsewhere where we have not taken a moment of silence here on the house of representatives. quite frankly, one of the reasons why we haven't taken a moment of silence is that we

would spend a great deal of the time we are in washington in moments of silence. and when my colleagues have continued to say is that to simply stand for a moment of silence and pray and think of the victims, and then either sit down and go on with business as usual or leave the . oor and do nothing unfortunately i think more often than not people leave the floor to figure out ways how not to do anything on guns. i think it actually takes a great deal of effort for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and their allies the nra and others a great deal of effort to come up with schemes to thwart any effort to bring

about common sense gun control here in the united states. and to actually have a nexus going on here. you have a nexus between terrorists and trying to stop them from being able to purchase guns legally. and limiting access to people who ought to not have legal access to weapons. the american people understand that. they get this. no fly, no buy. they understand that. the american people also understand that we need to give law enforcement the tools they eed to do their job. we can't simply say well, we will give you a couple of days. and if you don't get the information you need in a couple of days, then it is presumed that the person ought

to get that weapon. that is crazy. that is nonsense. if it is an ongoing investigation, we need to give law enforcement enough time to do a full and thorough background check. it is not an abrogation of the second amendment in any way, shape or form. . simply says we slow it down if you are not wanted for any criminal activity, if you are not a known terrorist, if you are not someone suspect of being a terrorist, you can have access. but if not, no access. no fly, no buy. it makes incredible sense, common sense. but that is the problem here, quite frankly. something that makes such common sense and the american people get it and they understand, yet my colleagues

on the other side of the aisle continue to refuse to allow for a straight upor down vote. now, i don't stand here in anticipation that that vote will pass. i am not so sure it will. but the american people at least deserve a vote here on the house floor. they deserve to know where their members of congress stands on the issue of no fly and no buy. the american people deserve a vote by their member of congress and the extension of background checks. without loopholes. that is something the american people ought to come to expect from congress that sometimes we have to take some tough votes. not easy votes. tough votes. that is what they sent us here

for. but more often than not we find a house bill or a two-house bill that is going absolutely nowhere. a horrible bill to deal with the crisis that we are facing on zika. so not only do they deny us the ability to bring a bill to the floor to address a health we s of gun violence as know they continue to block the c.d.c. from conducting studies and transfer that information to congress. but they also deliver to the oor this evening a zika bill at is woefully inadequate, underfunded, and will do harm to women and men across this

country. and on top of that, they used this opportunity to undo a vote that we had taken earlier this year just a few weeks ago to require removal of the at a veterans cemetery. military crementrizz. how obnoxious can you get? i guess more than i thought. it is crazy what is happening here right now. the american public is looking at us with bewilderment. we have an opportunity, folks, to continue this fight. it is not going to end here today. it won't end this week. when we come back in july, july 5th, we start again. we start again because we cannot sit back and do nothing and allow for them to continue

to obstruct the progress of our country, the progress of the american people who are demanding that their congress act on their behalf to make our country a safer place, to protect our children, to protect the innocent of our country. i am under no illusions that any one bill is a panacea. but i think we have to demonstrate to the american people that yes we can get things done here, that this congress can work. but the only way that can happen is if the majority of the republicans in the house allow for a bill to come up for no fly no buy and a bill to come up to extend background checks for gun sales. that is how we show the american people that we can work in a bipartisan way. that coming to the floor and ramming down to the throats of members of congress and the american public legislation that is woefully lacking.

so i just want to say and conclude this go around -- because i will stick around -- how incredibly proud i am of what i witnessed here today. my colleagues sitting here on the house floor, sitting here in the chamber, to the people that were in the gallery arlier today and yesterday, to folks still outside in front of the capitol who continue to protest for lack of action here n the house floor. it is a great expression of what makes america great. freedom of speech, freedom to act, the freedom to try to make a difference to better our nation. i want to thank the staff of the house democratic caucus for the great job today and

yesterday. get ready. we have more work to do. i know we can count on you. and i know i can count on my colleagues. yield back. >> it's a very emotional night for me. i am immensely grateful that our caucus has stood together on such an important issue. this has been a blessing to me to be able to manifest my service to my constituents in this way. this has not been easy. it is cold in here. i have lost my voice. but it has been worth every moment. this has been a defining moment, i believe. not only for us and for our standing up for those families who lost loved ones through senseless violence, but for

those who sit over there on the republican side. sit here n though i guarding the microphone, i heard such rude cackling in the background. they're nervous because tonight they didn't just have to answer to us. tonight they had to answer to people all around the world and people in their districts in particular. so there may be 35 or 40 of them who acting in this way are very safe in their districts. but the majority of the people in the united states of america want us to pass legislation that will give us an opportunity to make people safer to keep guns out of the hands of wrong people. my community i haven't had a mass killing but i can't go back to my district any week

when i leave d.c. and there's not been a shooting. i just thank god it hasn't always been a killing. we must do something. i am proud to stand with you. i am proud to have been a part of this sit-in, stand-in and speak up with john lewis and katherine and with our leadership here. nd i pledge that i will be a supporter and participant and i will stand up, speak up, and rise up on behalf of those who do not have a voice. thank you. >> i want to just take a moment as i stand between the pictures of these souls to tell our colleagues that mass shooting a wide its toll on

range of the american people. but one that comes to mind that we felt in texas -- and i know many members joined us when we went to fort hood texas. when we landed it was a hot, hot day. when we came to the area where we were to do the memorial for those who had been killed by a terrorist unfortunately wearing uniform and as the op ed indicated, this was an individual who had terrorist interaction and ties. this under or at least was not noted in his ability to purchase a gun. and as we walked on the grounds of fort hood almost as large as

one of the american cities, as we walked on the grounds we saw the rifles and the helmets and the boots of those military persons that have fallen in battle. i just want to take a moment to be able to call their names as honor those who died in orlando as we are reminded of virginia tech and aurora and columbine and san bernardino, memphis. and many other places. our soldiers who put on the uniform for us who by law is not carrying weapons on ilitary bases were gunned down by a terrorist with a weapon.

the law we want to pass today might have had an impact. no fly, no buy. and the expanded background check. these brave military persons many of whom have served overseas had been in iraq and afghanistan might still be alive today. their names are chief warrent officer michael kay hill, cameron texas. he was a physician's assistant at fort hood. woodbridge, of virginia. he came to the united states from mexico. and he now observing ad worked a a bilingual with students.

army staff sergeant justin, indiana. he was described 32 as a loving husband and father. green, tennessee. specialist hunt, oklahoma, 22. he wanted to be something great. sergeant amy krueger was a high chool athlete. ivate aaron thomas, utah, 19 graduated from high school. e those previous ones were private first class. private first class pearson. michael pearson 22. enlisted a year before he died. captain russell yaeger of milwaukee, wisconsin.

he was someone who was a nurse at the v.a. medical center. private valezz of chicago, illinois, was 21 years old and live it had dream her father wanted her to live. lieutenant connell anneata from maryland was assigned to the medical company independence issouri. ecialist an of st. paul, minnesota, 23. his first deployment. we owe our soldiers as we do the american citizens the respect and dignity of their loss of life. i am glad to be here on the floor. thank john lewis.

for making sure that we don't run and cut. that we stand bravely to confront the evil of terrorism. let me say that the very devastating bill dealing with zika will impact millions of americans particularly in the gulf region but we are trying to fight against the probable devastation of the zika epidemic. i don't know what the republicans were thinking but they were not standing for the american people and it is true they cut and run in the dark of night. and we are here on the floor to fight for the american people. >> house democrats have chosen

to hold the floor keep this sit in going and i was hoping i could engage my colleague from rhode island one of the leaders with ms. clark from massachusetts and mr. lewis from georgia in a colloquy. >> i would be delighted. >> the two of us never met in courts but we both worked across the country in many crooms in our criminal justice system. you worked as a defense attorney making sure that the rights of defendants were upheld and the constitution was followed and i worked to make sure that the state always proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. and we have talked often in this house about the cases we have seen and the violence that we have seen on our streets. around estion, off bill

assault weapons. my experience and every victim i dealt was they just didn't have a chance. that the bullets fly so fast almost twice as fast as the handgun. it's so devastating when it hits and pen trailingts the body that these are weapons of war. they're not weapons to protect your home. they're not weapons to shoot for sport. and they're certainly not weapons to hunt. so what moved you? what did you see that made you want to bring this legislation? i thank the gentleman. the worst shootings that we've seen. we have an assault weapons ban. we have pending legislation to reinstitute the assault weapons ban. but i think has been really frustrating tonight, while there's some division in this

congress on many of the gun issues, there are 215 pieces of legislation intended to address gun violence. but what has been really frustrating and i feel very passionate, i recognize that is when we're there's been a lot of opposition. but what we had antiagenda tonight and this morning, the two simplest provisions, the background check system making sure that every time a gun is sold we find out is the person a convicted felon, domestic abuser, disqualified terrorist. also making sure that individuals. it's been a challenge because there's no question these are weapon obvious war that are built, i don't think they belong in the communities of our cities and towns. you look at the kind of carnage that they can produce. it is hard to imagine why anyone thinks we need them.

>> would it surprise you to hear that of the ten greatest mass shootings in america, seven out of ten of them involved an assault weapon. >> it wouldn't surprise me at all. we look at the number of individuals that are killed by an assault weapon or high capacity magazine involved, it increases the death rate by 64%. so these are weapons of war. they're intended to kill as many people as quickly as possible. >> you mentioned the no fly, no buy. the assault weapons ban out there certainly it has merits. it's the law in california. but we saw in orlando an individual who was on a watch list and then came off. there's no mechanism for the f.b.i. to take this individual who had come off a watch list to at least even be alert that had this person was buying a

gun wefment no we know that people on the watch list today are buying firearms. so america has watched this debate. our constituents have weighed in. and on that issue of no fly no buy what are you hearing from your constituents? what is your office reporting back? >> this is one where my constituents can't believe it's not already the law. that if you are so dangerous that you are on a terrorist watch list, suspected of being associated with or engaging in terrorist activity that you would be precluded from buying a gun. they learn that between 2004 and 2014, over 2,000 individuals on the terrorist watch list bought guns and that there is -- there's no limitation. so we made the determination you can't get on an airplane because you are a danger. so you're so dangerous that you can't get on an airplane with other people. yet you can walk into a local gun store and buy as many guns

as you want. my constituents can't believe that's the case and they can't believe that we have had 13 occasions to fix that and we've been blocked by our republican colleagues. people are incredulous and wonder how is it possible that congress under this republican house leadership has not fixed this? i'm curious to know is that the same experience u you've had? >> it is. we've had thousands of constituents contacted today. because of the good work of scott peters and others who put this on facebook and snap chat people across the world now know that we are talking about this and the result and the feedback has been overwhelmingly finally congress is standing up on this issue. and we went outside and we saw that hour after hour more and more people were gathering outside the capitol steps and

they were saying the same thing. republicans, democrats, people who had never come to a political rally before said finally congress is stepping up on an issue that it just has not been get traction before. so we gave our house republican colleagues multiple opportunities to take as i call them the 20 steps of courage, the distance between where they sat and where this podium is. and no one came down. but we've heard this argument from speaker ryan that due process, due process. so let's give them their due process right now and maybe you can tell me why due process on this no fly list can still occur and still have a no fly list that means you can't also buy a gun. >> i think the thing that we have to recognize is the government has a responsibility to maintain lists for lots of important things. and those lists should be properly maintained and people should be on them only if they're supposed to be on them.

i think everyone recognizes that we want a system that works well. but because some people have been on it that shouldn't have been doesn't mean you don't have the list. i would also argue can't buy a gun so this notion of because there's some imperfection or there's an example of someone being on that list is a reason not to have it at all and to just let all suspected terrorists jump on the planes, it is crazy. >> is that like an air bag in an automobile. one in a million will only deploy when no accident occurs at all but 99% of them will deploy when an accident occurs and save a lifmente we don't put air bags in cars because that one time it may accidentally deploy. but we make sure that doesn't happen as often as possible. but we still protect as many people as we can, have a process in place to make sure no one is eronsly put on there.

>> particularly when you look at the statistics that the amount of carnage that is caused by terrorists with firearms. before 9/11 it was mostly from explosives. it is now from firearms. 95% of the deaths by terrorists in this country are caused by firearms. we auth to be doing everything we can to keep hands out of the suspected's terrorists. i think that falls nicely into the second bill which our colleagues refused to take up this evening and this morning. everyone recognizes that we have a system to make sure that you're permitted to buy a gun. that you are not a convicted felon. that you are not a domestic abuser. that you are not a suspected -- engaged in terrorist activity. so you have to go through a background check. you have to go through that process. except if you go on line or you go to a gun show you don't have to go through anything.

a five-year-old will tell you that's a sum system. that doesn't make any sense. it doesn't take long for bad folks to figure out where to buy guns. so we have a bill to fix that make sure we have universal background checks. that would be the single most powerful thing we can do. look around this chamber where are our republican colleagues? to take this issue up. they went home. >> and what we found is that no matter how well intentioned an individual gun safety laws are, if neighboring states or if other places in the country ooling lou you to go on line or go to a gub show that doesn't really protect you in your own state. what i found is that the american people again republicans, democrats, independents, overwhelmingly say that you should go through a background check no matter where you buy a gun. but they also overwhelmingly

say wait that's not already the case? >> people just assume you cannot buy a gun without going through a background check. so when they learn i think it y be up to 400% of gun sales are done without background checks because they have been in gun shows or on line people are shocked by that. that means some large percentage of gun purchases are being purchased by individuals who everyundergo a background check which presents a tremendous danger and is something fairly easy to fix and in fact a bill that we have been asking for a vote on to do that. i know you have had the opportunity as a prosecutor to speak to many victims of gun violence. i had that experience as a mayor, as i mentioned earlier this evening, sharing with a mother or father or sibling about the loss of a loved one to gun violence the most difficult thing i had to do as mayor. i just wonder whether in those experiences whether you sort of

had some hope for them that we would be able to do something about it when you got to congress. >> i think that people like the 16-year-old killed in oakland by a felon who had a firearm, i hink of someone like the person killed by an ak-47. their families have to deal with the fact that their son or brother is not coming back. but what they hope and what helps them get through the day is that there might be closure in their future. and that is knowing that their elected official, the criminal justice system is doing everything it can to make sure that what happened to their son, their brother does not happen again. so i guess i will close the colloquy by asking, we've had about 30 moments of silence since sandy hook.

and people at home are a little bit fed up that all we do is have these moments of silence which actually dishonors the victims because it is not followed up by action. do you share that frustration and have you heard that at home? >> absolutely. i when you consider some of the horrible tragedies that have occurred in this country and the tremendous loss of human life because of gun violence, and all the time we can devote to this critical issue is one minute. one minute. for 49 livings. so we just stop and do nothing we say nothing. and that happens over and over and over again. it is a tremendous frustration to me and i think to my constituents and to the american people watching, say that's all you're going to do? that is your response the sum total of your response to this pandemic of gun violence in this country is one minute of

nothing, of quiet. and i think what we need and my constituents expect us to do is no more moments of silence but many moments of sustained action to responses and prevent it from happening again. >> i'm a second-term member who came here because i still believe after working as an intern back in 2001 that this is a place where you can help the most amount of people by taking the boldest action and today was a moment i saw from my class of 2012 colleagues and the class of 2014 colleagues that the newest members this was invigorating to see an individual like john lewis who has led people before for just and worthy movements to do that again but to do it in part what he has learned upon you and katherine clark and to see our

caucus come together, that was moving. that i think reaffirmed why we all do this job. why we make the sacrifices, why e take the long slide. because we still think that this is a place where you can make bold changes and help a lot of people. that after all is why we were sent here. thank you for the colloquy. i know that we have our leader and the gentleman from new york up next so thank you again and i will yield back. > thank you. >> i thank all the members still here what we've learned is it is very cold in this chamber. but nothing is as cold as what

happens to a family when they lose a child. i just wanted to take a moment to inject a couple more op eds but not the whole op ed just some pieces of it. first i want to read from an op 2012 oseph december 16, following newtown. he wrote in part in the aftermath of the assassination of robert f. kennedy just weeks after the fatal shooting of reverend martin luther king, jr., and only a few years after president john f. kennedy was shot president johnson pressed congress to enact gun legislation he had sent to capitol hill years earlier. he urged allies in congress to act swiftly. this is lbj's quote. we only have two weeks, only

ten days bmb the gun lobby gets organized. we've got to beat the nra into the offices of members of congress. for three years johnson's bill had been locket in the senate judiciary committee by an army of gun lobbyists. but lbj was always poised to grasp any opportunity to achieve his legislative objectives even in the most horrendous circumstances. he has urged the tragedy of king's assassination in 1968 to at least get something for our nation out of it. finally persuading the house to pass a fair housing bill he had sent in 1966. assassination in june of 1968 the get his

bill enacted. it would pr hibit the sales of guns to minors and require a national registration of all guns and licensing of all owners. the day after kennedy died from gunshot wounds lbj renewed his pressure on the senate judiciary committee to report his bill out and sent to the senate floor for a vote. his proposals to license all gun owners and register all guns were defeated but he did get some of the provisions of his bill enacted. when he signed the legislation ctober 22, 1968, he vented his anger with the gun lobbyists. the voices that blocked these safeguards were not the voice of an aroused nation. they were the voices of a powerful gun lobby, a gun lobby that has prevailed from the

moment in an election year. we have been through a great deal of anguish these last few months and years, too much to forget so quickly to now we ust. i just want to bring us up to date now with general mcchrystal al who wrote in his op ed home should not be a war zone. that was my reaction on sunday like that of so many of my fellow americans and fellow soldiers as i began to learn about the horror that unfolded when a dangerous man opened fire with a high powered military style rifle. as americans came together to celebrate the freedom that our great country forged and our soldiers have given their lives to defend, 49 young people were murdward a gun. scores more were injured.

here at home many of us are alarmed by the carnage. alarmed by loopholes that let felons and domestic abuser get hold of guns without a background check. alarmed a known terrorist can the pass and walk out door. out.eterans are speaking last friday, two days before the tragedy in orlando, before, a new initiative the veterans coalition for common sense led was e navy combat veterans announced. those of us serving on an advisory committee come from every branch and every rank. we are trained in the use of firearms. we all think our country must do more to save lives from

being cut short by gun violence. as this crisis continues to raise as a soldier and citizen i have seen time and time again the inaction and dire consequences. in this case one consequence of ur leaders' inaction is that felons, domestic abusers and suspected terrorists have access to firearms. some opponents of closing these gaps in our laws will continue to argue that dangerous people will obtain guns in our country no matter what in therefore that taking steps to make it harder for them is fruitless. that is both poor logic and poor leadership. we are not -- we americans are not uniquely people. we do not have more violent -- we do not have more dangerous individuals. we are not unique in facing down the threat of horrible

terrorism. but we have a uniquely high rate of gun deaths and injuries that make us stand out in the worst way. our communities should not feel like war zones. our leaders can start by doing more to keep guns out of the hands of those who cannot be trusted to handle them responsibly. hat must be our mission. a member of the veterans coalition for common sense. later i will talk about unique opportunity we have now with terans weighing in while two days orlando just in time for us to do something about it after the fact to prevent something else. but i wanted to call these two op eds to our attention because i think they fit in with some of the questions that were raised in the colloquy. i will have more to say later. but i yield back to our

distinguished colleague from florida who has enlightened us already several times in this debate. proud to continue this sit-in as we hold the floor to make sure that we can shine a spotlight on the crisis that we are facing in this country. and that is really what it is. it is a crisis. when you have as many americans that are gunned down every year gun than 30,000 by violence, i think we have reached the textbook definition of crisis. i join everyone who has said how proud they were to make

sure that we could not just pray and sing after this most recent tragedy and that we could take action and that we could say, no more. listened to our colleagues talk about how difficult it is one of the most difficult thing for any of us as parents when we have chones a profession like ours and travel so much back and forth from our homes to the capitol to hear our children, and i heard the same thing that is you did from my kids when they were younger. they're a little tougher now. their skin has gotten a little thicker i guess over time which makes me sad in and of itself. but i remember so many times when any one of my three amazing children would say, mommy why do you have to leave again? mommy, why do you always have

to leave? any time anyone asks me what's the hardest part of my job? the answer is always leaving my kids. o when my 17-year-old daughter texted me today after we had a conversation over text about what we were doing here on the floor, she said i'm proud of you. and that filled my heart. because all of us have made a decision to make public service our focus. and each of us brings a different purpose but we all have a purpose that unites us and i think that purpose that unites our caucus and our colleagues is to help make other people's lives better, to make the world a better place, to make our service meaningful and to be able to make sure

that our constituents feel like their voices are heard through our representation of them. and we did that today. we achieved that today. we had to insist on it but we achieved it. and it of course should not have to be that we storm the house floor, take it over by sitting in literally on the floor to simply get some attention highlighted and spotlighted on the need to have a vote to stop gun violence. as many have said but it bears repeating, we're not asking our colleagues to even vote for these bills. we're asking for a very simple thing. and that is for our democracy to be allowed to work. for them to go see the wizard and find a little courage. for them to stop hiding behind

the curtain and be willing to face their constituents, look them in the eye, look in the eyes of the mothers of these children who they were all a mother's child and just face the music. cast your vote, stand up for what you believe in supposedly if what you believe in is carnage and allowing it, then stand up for that. but don't hide behind the rules. high behind the speaker's box. hide behind the nra and their squirts. which is what our friends on the other side of the aisle do every single day. and why do they do that? because time and again on this floor they prove that they care more about holding on to power than they do about doing the right thing. and again, i am not defining

whether or not what the right thing is for them. if the right thing for them is o vote to let people suspected of terrorism on the off chance that they accidentally got on that list to let them have a un then that's fine. we have this process by which you can be held accountable for every action that you take here in this chamber. but they are cowards and they won't even take that vote and face that music. and allow themselves to be held accountable. well, today we held them accountable. and we will continue to hold them accountable for not allowing a simple vote because we owe it to the families and the legacy and memory of these people, which are just a handful, unfortunately, of the

tense of thousands every year that are mowed down by guns. we owe them that much. e city of orlando is world renowned not in my district it's 3-1/2 hours from where i live and the people that i represent. but orlando is the magic city. orlando has always been associated with excitement and , and i fun and fantasy had a chance to participate in in gil honoring the victims south florida. one of the things that i said at that event was that we were oing to make sure that orlando does not get tarred forever more with this carnage and with

this heinous act of this individual. and we helped make sure of that today by coming together and doing the right thing, locking arms, sitting down and by sitting down we stood up. and we have to keep at it. because if we can't get a vote on this floor from these people who control this process, then we have about 138 days left until we can make sure that we can get some people in here who do and who will allow that. thank you so much. it's been such a privilege to join you for the last 18 hours now and i look forward to continuing to hold this floor with you. thank you.

>> i seem to have lost my voice. it's been 18 hours here on the floor. and we've been having a very simple message. a it comes from our obligation when we took our oath of office to obea and to defend the constitution. i spoke earlier in the course of the evening. i kind of kept this thing around since the day i was sworn in some six years ago. the constitution of the united states. we, the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the

blessings of liberty to to ordane and establish this constitution of the united states. domestic lier about tranquility or the lack thereof. 2,000 americans died last year of gun violence. this year we've already seen the effects of gun violence. we've seen what's happened in san bernardino, we've seen here the faces of 49 young men and women that were murdered in orlando.

d here we are, 18 hours into the occupation of the floor of the people's house. here, in an effort to try to betterment of domestic tranquility and to secure the blessings of liberty . our request isn't so onerous. ur request isn't so difficult. our request and indeed our demand is one that the american people have asked of us and that we have sworn to provide. our request is to simply pass in aws that would aid

bringing about a higher level of trance quilt -- tran quilt here in our great land. so what is those two? well, one simply says that if you are on a terrorist watch list and not allowed to fly, then you ought not be able to buy a gun. very, very ve the simple. and how utterly impossible to agine that anyone would find hat to be an objectionable law . how could anyone argue and indeed here earlier i offered my republican colleagues an opportunity to join us here on

the floor to debate why they are not willing to give us the opportunity to vote on this amendment. none of them chose to come to the well of the people's house and explain to the public why would be wrong to prevent a terrorist from obtaining a gun or an explosive. i think i understand why they didn't want to debate the issue. there is no reasonable argument. there is no rational argument. there is no sensible argument. to oppose such a law. whom i ur speaker think is a good person who has a good heart who has a family

and who in his leadership must certainly know the threats, has refused to give us the opportunity to vote on such a important ise, and law. the second law is one that is equally sensible. we have for nearly 20 years now a requirement that there be background checks before you buy a gun at a licensed gun dealer. it is there. it has been there for all these years. and yet here we are. with massive loopholes. we have watched our economy change into one in which the ternet has become a rival to

marchents on the street. e've seen the rise of amazon and other retailers operating through the internet. it is not a small loophole any longer. it is a gigantic loophole. and there is no requirement for a background check for a gun or ammunition purchased over the internet. you only need to drive down the roads and byeways of the united tates to observe another massive loophole. it is called a gun show. advertised on signs, tapeled to telephone poles, in the newspapers, often when the county fair is operating the gun show is operating. even at the state fair in california, the gun show is here multiple times.

you go to a gun show. are you required to get a background check? not in america. not a little loophole. but a massive loophole. to which firearms could be obtained by a person whose mentally ill, a person who has a court order because of an abusive situation in their home . a person who is on the terrorist list. loophole that we must close to assure that domestic tranquility that we have taken .he oath of office to provide so earlier in the evening when this house was filled with

republicans who dominate and irect progress of this house i asked them, please, come to the well. please, debate this issue was. tell us why it makes no sense tell us why it is a bad idea to close these loopholes through which many who never should have a gun are able to obtain one u. shortly after that discussion i received a text message from my son in-law who is an emergency room physician at the kaiser south sacramento trauma center. it's a trauma center for

sacramento. a community of around 1 million people. the text was very, very simple. he said, hang tough. i am now treating an individual with a gunshot wound. the moment i was talking, here on the floor of the house my son in-law was treating a gunshot wound, a victim of another gunshot. i haven't heard whether the fellow survived or not. i pray that he did. but we do know that 32,000 did not survive last year. one more thing. i was asked by a reporter, well, isn't this just a publicity stunt? my answer was the it is

certainly about publicity. to oal is to publicize -- publicize the fact that the united states is a very dangerous place to live. to publicize the fact that 32,000 of our neighbors have been shot and died. we know not how many others have been shot and survived. is about publicizing that fact that tranquility is hard to find in many of our communities. ut i also earlier this evening we were told we would read from martin luther king's letter from the birmingham jail. and as i was listening and wandering through the seats here, i came across the letter

and i have been reading it while listening to my colleagues talk. and i came across one paragraph that i think answers the rest of the question. that that reporter asked. i'll read it. martin luther king wrote, you direct action, why sit-ins, marches, and so forth. isn't negotiation a better path? you're quite right in calling for a negotiation. indeed, this is the very urpose of direct action. nonviolent direction action seeks to correct such a crisis and foster such attention that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate

is forced to confront the issue. it dramatized the issue a can no longer be ignored. part of the work of the nonviolent resisters may sound rather shocking. i must confess. i'm not afraid of the word 'tension." provided the king answer to that order as to why the democratic caucus took to well and, took to the has spent the last 18 1/2